abide

chapter 3

as he knocked on the copper door, some dirt remained on his knuckles. he examined his hand much displeased, soon examining the whole mansion as well that probably shouldn't be called a mansion in the first place.

it was a grimy house, from the outside looked spacious enough to contain two families. three square windows, every single one had curtains drawn, the roof was flat, the white walls were no longer white, the air pollution made it impossible to remain intact, time was cruel and didn't spare anything.

the moment jihoon heard a key being stuffed into the keyhole and then the doorknob swiveled, he backed away for one step. hyunsuk and junghwan could easily be taken as mute bodyguards - standing on both of his sides, slightly at the back. although jihoon's stature and posture left one with no doubt - a bodyguard would be of no use for a chap like him.

the doors shrieked high-pitched, and jihoon once again winced in displeasure that day. nevertheless, the moment his keen eyes met with dark, ominous orbits of the person in front, he regained his composure.

"what do you want?"

the boy's voice was cavernous, jihoon didn't feel threatened but he was now certain that this tone sent shivers down hyunsuk's spine. the one standing in the middle crossed his arms, the dim rays of sunshine were reflected by the silver ring on the right palm.

"you disrespectful rascal, mind your words when you talk to the boss!"

as jihoon remained silent, junghwan couldn't hold his disdain any longer. the youngest had more stamina than others, ready to be inflamed by a single spark.

"who do you think you are? I only respect my boss, not yours, idiot."

it was amusing to watch how the kids got out of the sander and now tried to play big boys. jihoon would love to see who would be the first one to give a blow but after a brief consideration, he realized he couldn't enjoy this play a minute longer.

"junghwan-ah."

the respective boy has had his sleeves already tugged up, his hands fidgety. jihoon intervened at the last second before he grasped the pretty boy, throwing him against the humongous vase on the left.

"next time, alright?"

the older patted him on the arm, the motion not affectionate at all as one could assume, and then after pushing the other suggestively to the back, his gaze fell upon the stranger again.

the boy looked younger but was taller than the three of them. he had blonde hair, nearly white, the length making it feasible to tie it into a pigtail. slender figure, long legs, long arms, he leaned his body against the doorframe, his expression clearly implying that the boy's patience was about to end and his one wish was to get rid of the nuisance. what jihoon liked about him were his eyes. hungry eyes he had seen only in one type of people - addicts.

"I want to meet the sole person you respect," he demanded, his tone somehow warmer, with a dose of meekness.

"and you are...?"

jihoon rolled his eyes. "park jihoon, for god's sake just let me in, I am not here to murder anyone. I just want to pay a friendly visit."

the other crossed his brows. the name seemed to trigger something in his memory, his eyes now traveling to and fro, once set on jihoon and once on the two behind.

"one condition. you go in, they stay outside."

jihoon didn't have to own a second pair of eyes to know that junghwan was ready to fight again, already trying to free himself from hyunsuk's arms.

"fine."

he motioned his subordinates to stay put, knowing that he is the only person they would listen to, following the pretty blonde afterward.

they were walking through a greyish corridor, jihoon counting two doors on one side and three on the other.

"one must be a playroom, the other study, do they have a room for each member of the group? three members then? what about the boss' room?"

at this second, as if hearing jihoon's question his temporary guide halted. turning face-to-face again, his hand pointed at the opened door they stood by.

"he is awaiting you here."

jihoon treated this sentence as a welcome but the moment he made a step forward, the other blocked the path.

"uhh, what now?!"

they started a sudden eye-contact battle, jihoon's hand itchy to grab the one in front of him by a collar and manhandle the obstacle.

"haruto? is that you?"

the voice made jihoon's body shudder very gently. it was kind. in such a long while he hadn't heard such an amiable demeanor and so it scared him to the bones. he gulped, his eyes already lost somewhere on the floor, eyelashes hurriedly fanning the air as he tried to wash away the feeling of regret, push the withered dreams.

"it's me, boss, I got you the one you wished to see."

jihoon took a deep breath. his visit wasn't a surprise then.

"let him in and wait by the door haruto."

the boy obediently stepped aside. he changed from a furious dog to a loving puppy within seconds and jihoon was even more eager to see who was able to control people around as efficiently as he could.

the leader finally entered the room and after taking some steps in, white mist attacked his sight. as he went further, the haze dissolved a little, accumulating higher, closer to the ceiling. against the wall stood a burgundy sofa with several fluffy cushions, three of which were black and three pink.

a boy with red hair was sitting there, his legs sprawled in a sinful manner, his head gazing up high, hand raised just to gradually fall. his fingers adorned with golden, simple rings, a cigarette placed in between two of them. the white smoke was being released from his mouth, the sound of his tongue clicking made jihoon sweat.

"boss, he is here."

only then did the intruder realize that there was another silhouette on the couch, the one which let out a sound. fragile body, petite frame, long, golden earrings, frizzy-haired.

the soft boy was sitting on the lap of the red-hair one. the trash which was smoked wasn't ordinary, it was weed, jihoon's nose was sensitive to such an acrid odor.

"they play it much dirtier than we do... fuck."

jihoon started perspiring, even more, this time not because the view in front was enough to turn him on. they haven't had drugs only. they had weed, they had pretty boys.

this time the tiger wasn't facing a harmless kitten. there stood another tiger with fur as gleaming and claws as sharp.

// ✧ //

ot12 forever